What's Worth Saving (Is Never Worth Letting Go to Waste)

Chapter 17: Nothing Beside Remains

Tommy never wanted to return here.

He stares up at the obsidian walls, horror knotted in his stomach. Pandora's vault looms in front of him, spires grinning down at him. The shadow completely blocks the sun, sending a shudder down Tommy's spine.

"No." He rasps, twisting to stare at Dream. The masked man had guided him through the Nether, saying nothing as he did. He walked him through L'manburg's ruins without so much of a chiding comment.

He led him to Pandora, as a grim reaper would deliver a soul to hell.

"You're under the mistaken guise that you have a choice in this matter." Tommy wrenches his arm free from Dream's grip, backing away.

"I won't go back there." He spits out, fear sending his heart thundering. Dream gives him an incredulous look.

"Oh, Tommy, I told you we were going home." He practically purrs. "I commissioned this for a few people, especially. You were one of them."

Tommy thinks he might vomit at the prospect.

"No." He hisses back, bristling. "That's where you belong. Where Sam—"

"Sam is gone." Dream says coldly. "Hiding with his one remaining, measly life." Tommy freezes, his extremities suddenly very numb. No.

With Sam gone, Dream is back in control of Pandora.

"I won't go back." Tommy says weakly, his defiance flickering like a dying candle. "You can't— I won't—"

"Then run." Dream says, nodding off to the forest. "I'm sure Sapnap will welcome you back after you got his fiancé killed."

"He's not dead." Tommy retorts, throwing an anxious glance in Karl's direction. His breathing is still painfully shallow, but he's still alive.

"For now." Dream says patiently. "And I'm not afraid to kill him as many times as it takes to get him to time travel for me. How do you think Sapnap will react seeing you, since Karl got caught defending you."

Tommy can't even find words to combat his venom laced argument, because it's true .

"And besides." Dream continues, grinning at him. "You can run, but you can't hide. I'll always find you." Tommy swallows thickly, the words sinking in. He knows Dream is right, and it scares him. No matter how far he runs, no matter how he tries to hide, Dream always finds him.

"Why don't you quit making this hard on both of us and just follow me?" Dream asks, his voice honeyed with false warmth.

Tommy stares at him with utter loathing, but he still returns to his side and walks back into the prison.

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Karl is aware of someone manhandling him. Tugging him around, carrying him through somewhere. He isn't sure what's happening, but he has the distinct feeling that he isn't safe.

His head hurts too bad to process anything, anyway. It feels like his brain has been lit on fire, the burning pain refusing to cease.

"...No escape..."

"You can't..."

"But I did."

Snippets of a conversation, falling on deaf ears as Karl struggles to stay awake. He manages to open his eyes for a split second, seeing blurry, red tinged shapes arguing against a backdrop of orange.

Karl tries to move a singular muscle, but finds that he can't even lift his head. Everything hurts far too much, and he just wants to sleep. But he knows he isn't safe, and he has to get out of here before it's too late.